Illinois’ (4-3-2, 0-1-1) first conference win of 2024 will have to wait at least one more game. It settled for a draw against Wisconsin (4-2-2, 0-1-1) on Thursday night.
Illinois appeared well-positioned to secure a victory after the first half ended 1-0. A goal in the 13th minute by junior forward Sarah Foley pushed them ahead early.
However, Wisconsin challenged only four minutes into the second half. A foul by junior defender Ellen Persson awarded Wisconsin a penalty kick. However, the Badgers failed to convert the opportunity. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee gave the Illini a much-needed save to keep them ahead.
From the start, Wisconsin’s sophomore midfielder Erin Connolly was putting pressure on Illinois’ backline, taking three shots in the first 12 minutes. Twenty-six minutes in, she put the ball on target but Lee was there to make the save again.
At the half, despite 10 shots by Wisconsin’s offense, half being on target, none were converted by the Badgers. Although the Illini entered halftime with a one-goal lead, they only had four shots, and just three in the first 10 minutes. Aside from Foley’s goal, none were on target. This highlights a finishing issue for Illinois instead of a lack of opportunities.
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In the second half, junior forward Lia Howard created an opportunity for Foley to net her second goal of the match. Foley sent it in low, the Illini led 2-0 after 57 minutes. Only four minutes passed before the Badgers’ Connolly finally converted for the Badger’s first goal of the game. This injected a wave of energy into both teams, and the tempo ramped up. Illinois’ redshirt freshman midfielder Ashley Stellon put up a shot around 50 seconds later, but it was blocked by a Badger defender.
Returning to an aggressive pace, Illinois kept Wisconsin away from its net until the 65th minute when senior midfielder/defender Ashley Martinez had a look at the goal, but it was saved by Lee again.
Graduate midfielder Aryssa Mahrt had back-to-back chances around the 72-minute mark, but neither was good enough to equalize. Lee batted away her first attempt which was a rocket to the center. On the corner, Mahrt got a shot off but sent it wide. Two minutes later, Mahrt got a shot off again, but Lee once again saved it for a corner.
After regaining possession, Foley got off a shot to complete her hat trick, but Wisconsin’s junior goalkeeper Drew Stover made the save, sending it back out, allowing Wisconsin to create more scoring chances.
Wisconsin, still 2-1 with time running low, was searching for an equalizer to prevent a losing start to the conference season and finally found it in the 86th minute of the game. Senior midfielder Maddie Ishaug equalized for the Badgers off an assist by Mahrt.
Both teams scrambled to break the deadlock in the final three minutes. Mahrt even broke through Illinois’ defense again to get her sixth shot off. Lee had one more save in her bag of tricks to prevent an Illini loss.
Illinois, still searching for its first conference win, returns home to Demirjian Park on Sunday to face Iowa at 1 p.m.
